Around 1997/98, the Defense Logistics Agency changed their business practices, and entered into Prime Vendor long term sustainment contracts with various suppliers to provide materials needed to support the maintenance, repair, and operation (MRO) of its facilities. Items such as plumbing, electrical components, heating/ ventilation/ air conditioning (HVAC), lumber, fixtures, other hardware supplies, etc. would be included. The Prime Vendors need not make these items; the idea is to use purchasing power and commercial purchasing practices to consistently get the US Department of Defense the best prices on these civilian items, delivering them quickly and with little overhead.

These contracts are not small; collectively, they represent billions of dollars each year. Unless otherwise stated, the contracts are issued by the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP) in Philadelphia, PA. Specific purchases then take place via orders under the overarching contracts described below, up to the limits mentioned. The USA is divided into a number of regions, and these contracts also include locations abroad; DID has used the same geographical groupings in describing these contracts over the past couple of years, and the firms receiving them. The latest addition includes $500 million in MRO contracts to 2 vendors…

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Doing the drill
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Small business qualifier and industrial safety and security specialist BriarTek, Inc in Alexandria, VA received a $19 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to install and test Man Overboard Indicator (MOBI) systems on approximately 105 US Navy ships. Work will be performed in Alexandria, VA and is expected to be complete by August 2013. This contract was not competitively awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division in Panama City, FL (N61331-08-D-0036).

On a huge, noisy ship like a 500+ foot long destroyer or 1,000 foot aircraft carrier that’s moving at over 20 knots, alerting the entire crew to a man overboard incident is a difficult challenge. Seconds count, however, especially if the ship is traveling in frigid regions like the North Atlantic. MOBI systems help to solve this problem, and BriarTek’s ORCA system goes a step beyond previous versions.

ORCA consists of a water-activated beacon worn by an individual, a receiver mounted on the ship’s bridge, and a directional finder that can pinpoint a beacon’s location even if the waves are too tall to see the person. Unlike previous systems, ORCA provides each person with a unique ID. This lets it track multiple alarms, and displays the number of people in the water during an incident. A digitally encoded message can be used to trigger or reset the bridge alarm if manual activation is needed, or an “all clear” is required due to confirmed false activation.

Small business qualifier Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad Co. in Elma, WA received a $12.6 million modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract (N44255-01-C-1002, #P00022) for railroad repairs at Navy Region Northwest, West Sound area. The railroad will be responsible for all elements of those repairs, which raises the current total contract value to $16.3 million. Work will be performed on the Bangor-Shelton-Bremerton Navy Railroad, and is expected to be complete by Septeber 2009. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, in Silverdale, WA manages the contract.

These facilities are linked to Naval Base Kitsap in Washington State. Kitsap is the largest naval organization in Navy Region Northwest, comprising facilities in Bremerton, Bangor and Keyport. Kitsap NB is primarily a submarine base, hosting many SSN Los Angeles Class attack subs and SSBN Trident missile subs, plus the USA’s 3 ultra-advanced SSN-21 Seawolf Class submarines and the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier CVN 74 USS John C. Stennis.

M-Ship Stiletto
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DID has covered the late Vice-Admiral Cebrowski’s legacy at the Pentagon’s Office of Force Transformation. With the formal roll-out of the 88-foot Stiletto stealth ship and its cutting-edge “M-Hull” wave-damping design, that legacy takes another step forward. The Stiletto is part of Project WolfPac, which aims to test new concepts of shallow-water and riverine warfare organized around swarms of smaller, affordable ships linked by communications. The Stiletto can slip into shallow waters, launching inflatable boats and even UAVs while serving as a communications hub via its “electronic keel.” Best of all, the M-Hull significantly reduces the pounding its occupants take from waves – poundings that often result in back injuries that cut careers short, or leave sailors with lingering disabilities in later life.

After a long, drawn-out testing period, the ship is finally being given a chance to silence doubts about its ability to stand up to open sea conditions. It has been deployed – with a crew of Army mariners to operate it…

• The Stiletto Program
• Contracts and Key Events
• Appendix A: M-Hull Technology – From Venice to Victory
• Appendix B: Additional Readings
  
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The USA’s Contract Field Teams (CFT) Program quickly deploys skilled technicians on site to accomplishes depot and organizational level inspection, maintenance, modification and repair at operational Government locations worldwide. The program works with each of the USAF’s Air Logistics Centers (ALCs), plus USAF Air Combat Command (ACC), Air Mobility Command (AMC), Air Force Reserves (AFRES) and the US Air National Guard (ANG). CFT contracts can also be used to support the needs of the US Army, Navy, Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other American Federal Agencies. The program started in 1951, and the last contract was issued in 1997, expiring in 2008. Hence the new award.

The US Army makes extensive use of this contract vehicle for Army Aviation Support, and the US Navy operates an aviation fleet that is larger than most national air forces. since the roster of firms involved in these activities is very similar no matter which service is making the request, piggybacking on a fully fleshed out contract and using similar terms and conditions makes a lot of sense. FAA support, meanwhile, involves the repair of navigation equipment, electronics, and other components of civil aviation infrastructure.

Like most multiple-award contracts, the “winners” are really just given an opportunity to compete for relevant task orders. When a specific need arises, the umbrella contract’s extensive terms and conditions are already set, and bids can be offered and evaluated very quickly. That arrangement saves time and money for the military, the firms involved, and ultimately for American taxpayers. At this time $280,000 has been committed, and the contracts will be managed by the 327 ASW/FT at Tinker AFB in Midwest City, OK.

Winners under the new CFT program, with DefenseLINK announcement errors corrected, include:

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Link 16 Display
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Jam-resistant Link-16 radios automatically exchange battlefield information – particularly locations of friendly and enemy aircraft, ships and ground forces – among themselves in a long-range, line-of-sight network. For example, air surveillance tracking data from an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft can be instantly shared with fighter aircraft and air defense units. More than a dozen countries have installed Link 16 terminals on over 19 different land, sea, and air platforms, making it an interoperability success story.

While recent advancements may make AESA radars the future transmitters of choice, Link 16 is the current standard. The Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminals (MIDS LVTs) were developed by a multinational consortium to provide Link 16 capability at a lower weight, volume and cost than the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS). This DID focus article describes the program, and covers international contracts associated with it. It will be updated and backfilled as time goes on.

The latest award is a contract for some of the new MIDS-JTRS terminals…

• The MIDS-LVT Program
• Into the Future: MIDS JTRS/ MIDS-J
• MIDS/ Link 16 Contracts & Events [updates]
• Additional Readings
  
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Skyhook concept
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In April 2006, “WALRUS Hunted to Extinction By Congress, DARPA?” dealt with the cancellation of DARPA’s WALRUS ultra-heavy lift program. WALRUS aimed to develop an airship that could lift between 250-500 tons, offering capacity that rivaled ship-borne options, but offered the benefits of transport all the way to the front without requiring ports and related infrastructure.

The program would have developed a 30-40 ton capacity demonstration model in its early stages, which would have had a useful role of its own. DID’s article also noted the requests of combat commanders for airlift options that could be used with smaller airfields than the 20-ton capacity C-130 Hercules aircraft, alongside items likepressure to lower fuel use at the Pentagon, and 2005 warnings from the Army Corps of Engineers about energy costs/supplies and future military operations.

Now a private consortium sees similar needs and trends in key civilian sectors. A Canadian/American partnership that includes Boeing has set itself the public goal of building the commercial equivalent of DARPA’s desired demonstrator…

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Small, disadvantaged business qualifier Bering Straits Information Technology, LLC in Anchorage, AK received a maximum $5.8 million firm fixed price, total set aside, 8(a) Alaskan Native sole-source contract. they will to provide all labor and staff to help the Defense Logistics Agency’s Defense Supply Center, Richmond (DSCR) by reducing existing back-orders, managing National Stock Number assistance, and otherwise helping out as needed.

There was originally 1 proposal solicited with 1 response. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, and the contract will end on July 31/11. The contracting activity is the DSCR in Richmond, VA (SP4703-08-C-0013).

NETFIRES concept
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The basic concept of NETFIRES (a Future Combat Systems program) is to develop a family of artillery-like precision attack missiles based upon a vertical launcher design. Yet the idea goes far beyond that simple description. The NETFIRES CLU box launcher is intended to be be fully autonomous, meaning it can be dropped off anywhere and operate on its own without a support vehicle. The launch unit includes power generation and control systems as well as a total of 15 missiles, each with a warhead similar in size and capability to a 155mm artillery shell.

The system is also known as Non Line-Of-Sight, Launch System, or NLOS-LS, and remains one of Future Combat systems’ most promising programs, slated for early fielding to the Army and even for integration with US naval forces.

This will be DID’s focus article for the NETFIRES program, and it will be updated as new events and contracts enter the picture. The latest news involves another successful field test, as it gears up to be part of FCS Spinout Phase 1.

• The NETFIRES Concept
• NETFIRES Missiles
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: Lockheed’s Successful Design Improvement Workshops
• Appendix B: Additional Readings & Sources
  
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Small business qualifier Donovan Commercial Industries, Inc. in Nortonville, KY is being awarded an $8.9 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for the Low Hazard Flexible Linear Shaped Charge. It’s a form of explosive cutting tape, which is typically used to produce precise cuts in metal and other substances. Think of it as an instant and very powerful plasma torch, whose design makes it safer to carry and much faster to use. The V-shaped charge enclosed in foam comes in 5 lengths and various grains per foot of explosive, in order to provide precise calibration to the difficulty of the job. This design also produces less shrapnel, which makes it a lot safer than existing explosives used for this purpose by the military, and by civilian construction firms building bridges and other large structures.

Work will be performed in Nortonville, KY and is expected to be complete by June 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $67,523 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with proposals solicited via Federal Business Opportunities, with 1 offer received by the energetics specialists at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in Crane, IN (N00164-08-D-JM11).

Donovan’s product is available to qualified civilian firms, and is picking up market share on that front as well. The executive we spoke to did express a desire for a qualified individual who could help them with the growing volume of media and other PR-related inquiries they’re receiving. Nortonville is about 75 miles NNW of Nashville, or 50 miles west of Bowling Green.